The Herman and Katnip cartoons are not personal favourites and never will be, as some are rather repetitive and predictable with violence too cruel to be funny, but they still have a good amount to make them watchable(i.e. the music). Bicep Built for Two is neither among the best or worst of them, and while it is unexceptional(true of most of their cartoons) it's worth watching.
Winston Sharples' music is always the best thing about the Herman and Katnip cartoons, and is certainly component that is the most consistently good. Once again, it is the best asset of A Bicep Built for Two, the orchestration is rich in sumptuous colour, it's very energetic rhythmically and even more importantly(especially in the weightlifting gag) it's catchy and memorable, also adding much to what is going on. The title credits song is like a ray of infectious sunshine and puts a smile on one's face. Most of the animation is good, some of the character designs and drawings could have been smoother(couldn't tell whether it was the print or whether it was to do with budget, could have been both) but the colours are very beautiful and the backgrounds have much fluidity and detail.
A Bicep Built for Two is more amusing than hilarious(which actually for Herman and Katnip is not a bad standard), and the muscle-building gags(especially the one with the stick of dynamite) are pretty cruel with a level brutality making the best of Tom and Jerry tame comparatively(while not sinking to being stomach-churningly sadistic like Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoons). But the good news is that the gags do amuse somewhat still and are timed well, sometimes timing in the Herman and Katnip cartoons can be slow but it's fine here. The ending is a standout. A Bicep Built for Two is thankfully not as repetitive as some Herman and Katnip cartoons, where some are literally the same plot and dialogue over and over whereas it's different here. Sure, for cartoons in general it's predictable, with a beginning reminiscent of the Tom and Jerry cartoon Springtime for Thomas.
Katnip is a lot of fun here and is pretty likable, one has to feel sorry for him at the end. The girl cat is pretty and adorable, and Katnip's rival is a suitably intimidating adversary, and reminds one ever so slightly of Bluto from the Popeye cartoons. Herman however is a little annoying, and is not very funny or easy to like, and his treatment of Katnip here has something with it I think. He and his treatment of Katnip is much more convincing when Katnip is actually a genuine threat, seeing as Katnip is not here it just came over as Herman provoking him for his own fun, which diminishes his likability as a character and the humour not as fun. The voice acting when used is mostly good, but a notable exception is Jackson Beck voicing Herman(replacing Arnold Stang for this cartoon), the enthusiasm is there but the voice just sounded off, when one is so used to hearing Stang voice the character, and like Beck was fighting a cold.
Overall, a watchable Herman and Katnip cartoon but not an exceptional one. 6/10 Bethany Cox
Winston Sharples' music is always the best thing about the Herman and Katnip cartoons, and is certainly component that is the most consistently good. Once again, it is the best asset of A Bicep Built for Two, the orchestration is rich in sumptuous colour, it's very energetic rhythmically and even more importantly(especially in the weightlifting gag) it's catchy and memorable, also adding much to what is going on. The title credits song is like a ray of infectious sunshine and puts a smile on one's face. Most of the animation is good, some of the character designs and drawings could have been smoother(couldn't tell whether it was the print or whether it was to do with budget, could have been both) but the colours are very beautiful and the backgrounds have much fluidity and detail.
A Bicep Built for Two is more amusing than hilarious(which actually for Herman and Katnip is not a bad standard), and the muscle-building gags(especially the one with the stick of dynamite) are pretty cruel with a level brutality making the best of Tom and Jerry tame comparatively(while not sinking to being stomach-churningly sadistic like Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoons). But the good news is that the gags do amuse somewhat still and are timed well, sometimes timing in the Herman and Katnip cartoons can be slow but it's fine here. The ending is a standout. A Bicep Built for Two is thankfully not as repetitive as some Herman and Katnip cartoons, where some are literally the same plot and dialogue over and over whereas it's different here. Sure, for cartoons in general it's predictable, with a beginning reminiscent of the Tom and Jerry cartoon Springtime for Thomas.
Katnip is a lot of fun here and is pretty likable, one has to feel sorry for him at the end. The girl cat is pretty and adorable, and Katnip's rival is a suitably intimidating adversary, and reminds one ever so slightly of Bluto from the Popeye cartoons. Herman however is a little annoying, and is not very funny or easy to like, and his treatment of Katnip here has something with it I think. He and his treatment of Katnip is much more convincing when Katnip is actually a genuine threat, seeing as Katnip is not here it just came over as Herman provoking him for his own fun, which diminishes his likability as a character and the humour not as fun. The voice acting when used is mostly good, but a notable exception is Jackson Beck voicing Herman(replacing Arnold Stang for this cartoon), the enthusiasm is there but the voice just sounded off, when one is so used to hearing Stang voice the character, and like Beck was fighting a cold.
Overall, a watchable Herman and Katnip cartoon but not an exceptional one. 6/10 Bethany Cox
